Reston — Members of the Long & Foster Reston office on Wiehle Avenue became handymen for the day, as almost a dozen employees gathered at a Reston townhouse owned by Reston Interfaith to prepare it for a family in need.

Employees spent the day at the townhouse, ripping out carpets and other flooring, painting, mulching, power washing and doing anything else they could to get the place ready for new residents.

"We're just trying to give back to this community, it's where we earn our money from, so it's nice to help out," said Donna Shaffer of Long & Foster.

"They're helping us get this place ready for a family move in, most likely a family that will be transitioning out of homelessness," said Abby Kimble of Reston Interfaith. "We'll also be getting them started in our programs to help them get back on their feet again, so we're grateful for all the help we can get."

The townhouse has two bedrooms, and a front and back porch as well as several flowerbeds throughout the properties, which volunteers filled with begonias and other plants.

The Wiehle Avenue Long & Foster office does several charitable events throughout the year, collecting money for the Friends of Reston scholarships to send local children to camp.

Reston Interfaith is a nonprofit that was founded in 1970 and has since served more than 250,000 people struggling to meet their housing, childcare, food or financial needs. They own many houses in the area, which are used to provide shelter and stability to people coming out of homelessness or other dire circumstances.

More information is available at www.restoninterfaith.org.